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WAYN, (Where Are You Now) the largest travel and lifestyle social media platform in the world with over 21 million members today announced the signing of a multi-million dollar strategic partnership with India Today Group (ITG), one of the largest and most diversified media conglomerates in India. The group engages with nearly 100 million “thinking Indians” regularly through its properties across genres including 38 magazines, 4 Television channels, 7 Radio Stations, 12 Websites & 56 Apps across mobile and tablets. The synergy will allow both companies to create one of the largest online reach in India, which currently boasts an estimated 137m users online, the 3rd largest online population in the world (Source: Internet World Stats)

Under the terms of the deal, WAYN will create a co-branded portal with Travel Plus, the travel arm of ITG and provide innovative advertising solutions to the group’s large clients’ portfolio. The unique partnership will give ITG a direct access to WAYN’s online community of circa 4 million users in India alone and growing by a few thousand users daily. The WAYN community offers a multi-layered, highly social and engaging platform, allowing users to connect with one another and share aspirations, experiences and tips.

The new travel portal will showcase the exclusive and premium stories, pictures and videos of Travel Plus and allow the users to share them on their WAYN network. The portal will also provide all WAYN Indian users with more specific travel content and deals in a market that is seeing explosive growth domestically. From 2006 to 2011 there was a 132% increase in Indians travelling abroad (source: Indians travelling abroad has risen up to 132 per cent ). This increase is predicated to continue with an estimated 50 million Indians expected to travel overseas by 2020 (source: Number of Indians travelling abroad growing - eTurboNews). With increasing disposable incomes and a flourishing economy, Indian travellers continue to spend lavishly on travel and are keen to explore newer destinations through online mediums.

The signing of the partnership comes on top of an impressive year for WAYN: in July of this year, they announced membership of the site had reached over 20 million users and signed up an additional 1 million users since then as well as signing deals with Indonesia Tourism, Airbnb, London & Partners and a renewed joint marketing agreement with South Africa Tourism, to name but a few.

WAYN.com co-Founder and Chief Revenue Officer Jerome Touze stated: “I have visited India on numerous occasions over the past few years, meeting with potential key partners and in terms of presence, appetite and understanding of social media, India Today Group was undoubtedly the best fit. There are numerous factors that suggest growth in India will continue, including rising disposable income levels (Asia Pacific now houses more wealthy people than all of Europe), a younger demographic and increasing use of the internet… we are excited to tap into this market, develop ITG’s online presence in the travel vertical and build a long standing relationship”.

India Today Group’s Chief Synergy Officer Kalli Purie said “We are super excited by this partnership. This deal gives us an opportunity to let the WAYN community engage with the premium and exclusive contents of Travel Plus magazine. AT the same time, the readers of Travel Plus too will get to enjoy the social media engagement that WAYN offers. Also, given our strengths and access with the Tourism Boards and other advertisers in the Indian market, we are all set to monetise this opportunity to the benefit of both of the companies.”

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